SKILLS TRAINING. The second batch of trainees under the “Panag-aywan iti Kailyan”, an anti-insurgency program of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion of the Police Regional Office-Cordillera. The program provides skills training and certification to a total of 106 individuals, who belong to six batches, from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in the region. (PNA photo courtesy of RMFB 15)
BAGUIO CITY – Andy Mariano Masi, 49, a resident of a far-flung village in Tabuk City, Kalinga, used to plant rice on a 2,500-square-meter property where he got a percentage of the proceeds that could barely sustain the needs of his family.
This was until he was found by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and was included in its anti-insurgency program as a beneficiary.
Masi has four kids but only those in Grades 11 and 12 are currently enrolled, saying “because I cannot afford to continue sending them (the younger ones) to school.”
He said transportation fare going to Bulanao where the school is located is PHP50, an amount which is difficult for him to provide given the lack of income.
Masi said they survive on planting rice, bananas and vegetables on the less than half a hectare area they till, and pay rice harvest as a rental to the lot owner.
“The harvest can hardly provide our needs, just enough for food for the family,” he said in Ilocano, a local dialect.
Thus, Masi was glad for his inclusion in the “Panag-aywan iti Kailyan” (caring for fellowmen) program of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 15 (RMFB).
He is among the 106 individuals from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) areas of the region who were provided with free training on construction by the Police Regional Office-Cordillera’s partner, Career Builders Skills Training and Assessment Center, based in the province of Pangasinan.
The beneficiaries, some of whom are former rebels, relatives of former rebels, Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) members and out-of-school youths, were assisted in obtaining a National Certification from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and were linked to a company that is now providing them decent employment with social benefits.
Masi said he got sick and was hospitalized, but did not spend any amount for this.
He said the skills training center also committed to help while he is recovering by providing funds for his family to put up a small store and sustain their needs.
“I am thankful to the government’s program and for bringing us to Career Builders because this is giving us a chance for a better life. I hope to recover and use the skills I acquired so that I can continue to provide for my family’s needs. Hopefully, my two other children can return to school soon,” he added.
Jose Chan, Executive Director of the Career Builders Skills Training and Assessment Center, said they partnered with PROCor upon hearing of the program to help improve the condition of the disadvantaged residents in the provinces, including those in GIDA and the former rebels or their relatives.
“We help because we also get assistance from other groups, which is a good example of all sectors -- government, private and the community, working hand-in-hand for their fellowmen,” he told the Philippine News Agency.
Chan is confident that with the quality of training they provide, the trainees will be able to find jobs.
“We encourage them to stay for at least two years to acquire the necessary document of training and the experience required to qualify for work abroad,” he said.
Aside from training and placement, Career Builders and PROCor’s partnership also includes the reconstitution of the trainees’ official documents since most of them are unregistered and are without identification documents.
Col. Ruel Tagel, chief of the RMFB 15, in a separate interview, said the program provides a holistic approach given its three components namely education program, bayanihan (serve by extending a helping hand), and livelihood.
Tagel said the program, which is an anti-insurgency stance, aims to make the presence of the government felt by sustaining the livelihood of a person, thereby preventing them from joining the communist terrorist organization.
"We do not want to just give and continue giving. We want them to take part, to own up to their contribution in making their lives better, which is a sustainability measure that we are inculcating in the minds of the participants,” he said.
“The best proof of sustainability is for them to later on be on their own,” he added. (PNA)
